Best and Worst Booking Decisions of WWE Clash at the Castle 2022 Results

As the first pay-per-view card completely constructed by Triple H since his takeover of creative, WWE Clash of the Castle 2022 was what would set the tone for the product going forward and it undoubtedly delivered.

The event was headlined by a high-stakes bout between Roman Reigns and the United Kingdom's own Drew McIntyre for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship. Reigns retaining the title with help from Solo Sikoa made for a polarizing ending and left fans wondering whether the company made the correct call.

The rest of the show featured several excellent matches and memorable moments. These ranged from Sheamus receiving a standing ovation following his hard-hitting battle with Gunther to Dominik Mysterio betraying Edge and his father Rey.

All in all, WWE's latest premium event can't be considered anything other than a success. Now the question becomes whether they can continue to produce strong shows of this caliber consistently.

While not without its flaws, Clash at the Castle will be best remembered for rewarding the investment of the audience and the positive booking decisions that came along with it.

Best: Imperium Returns

Imperium are back in full force. (Credit: WWE.com)

Gunther vs. Sheamus for the Intercontinental Championship was one of the most anticipated matches heading into this thrilling wrestling weekend. Sure enough, they delivered on fans' lofty expectations what was a highly physical and extremely entertaining affair.

The only way Gunther was going to even the odds against The Brawling Brutes was by bringing in backup and enlisting help from the outside. Ludwig Kaiser has been a regular by his side since his SmackDown arrival, but the appearance of Giovanni Vinci was what made the moment special.

Collectively known as Imperium, the trio ran roughshod over NXT UK for nearly three years and held gold for a good chunk of that time. Immediately following WrestleMania 38, the former Fabian Aichner walked out on his Imperium stablemates in order to explain why they'd be moving to SmackDown without him.

Vinci has had several standout showings since re-debuting on NXT 2.0 with his new gimmick, but it never made sense why they were broken up in the first place, especially considering how weak WWE's tag team division is on the whole.

Thus, Vinci reuniting with the rest of Imperium at Clash at the Castle was a hopeful sign that Triple H intends to keep them together from here on out. If not, it was a cool cameo at the very least.

Best: Bayley Pins Bianca Belair

Damage Control are one step closer to taking total control of Raw's women's division. (Credit: WWE.com)

It was a mere five weeks ago that Bayley returned at SummerSlam with Dakota Kai and Iyo Sky in tow and promised to take total control of Raw women's division.

Thus, having them losing in their first match as a trio, especially on a stage as grand as Clash at the Castle, would have been booking malpractice.

Bianca Belair, Alexa Bliss and Asuka gave it a commendable effort, but they would have gained nothing from winning their six-woman tag team match with Damage Control. Bayley and Co. winning clean was the only outcome that made sense.

Not only that, but it was imperative that Bayley pinned Belair in particular to set up the two of them for a Raw Women's Championship program. Thankfully, that was exactly what happened.

Belair has virtually been unstoppable since taking the title from Becky Lynch at WrestleMania 38 and has been booked to look dominant during her reign. As a result, Bayley beating her spoke volumes.

With this win, Kai and Sky should also be in line for another opportunity at the WWE Women's Tag Team Championship.

Worst: Judgment Day Lose Again

Rey Mysterio and Edge united to dismantle and defeat The Judgment Day. (Credit: WWE.com)

Coming off their latest loss, The Judgment Day may officially be dead in the water.

Finn Balor, Damian Priest and Rhea Ripley haven't had a lot of luck since deciding to exile Edge from the group three months ago. They've won the occasional match on Raw but have yet to win anything of importance on pay-per-view.

Clash at the Castle should have been their time to shine, especially with the story being told of Dominik Mysterio not being content with Rey teaming with Edge instead of his own son. The expectation was that he would interfere and cost the babyfaces the win, turning heel in the process.

The action was enjoyable, and Edge and Rey winning didn't serve much of a purpose other than to make Judgment Day look like even less of a threat than they already were.

Dominik's post-match heel turn further established Judgment Day as an afterthought. Unless he'll soon be joining their ranks, it would be best for Judgement Day to move away from Edge and The Mysterios if not break up entirely.

Best: Liv Morgan Establishes Credibility with Decisive Win

Liv Morgan lives to fight another day as SmackDown Women's champion. (Credit: WWE.com)

Although her reign as SmackDown Women's champion got off to a stellar start at Money in the Bank, Liv Morgan's popularity began to wane following the fluky finish to her title defense against Ronda Rousey at SummerSlam.

She still received largely favorable reactions, but she couldn't shake the chants of "You tapped out!" from the audience and the support hasn't been as strong as it once was. That was due to how she was being booked as an underdog champ and her challenger Shayna Baszler coming off much better.

Morgan had to once again fight from underneath during her bout with Baszler at Clash at the Castle, but her beating Baszler in clean fashion was what mattered most. A roll-up victory or anything along those lines would have been too similar to what went down at SummerSlam.

Upon hitting her finisher, Morgan pinned The Queen of Spades and got the three count. Baszler wasn't protected in defeat (other than dominating a majority of the match), but this was designed to give Morgan much-needed credibility and that was accomplished.

Best: Seth Rollins' Win Keeps Matt Riddle Feud Alive

What's in store for Seth Rollins following his huge win over Matt Riddle? (Credit: WWE.com)

Seth Rollins is widely considered by fans to be WWE's in-ring MVP of 2022 and for good reason. He's had countless classic matches this year with a variety of opponents, and his outing against Matt Riddle at Clash at the Castle was no exception.

Their real-life animosity for each other translated to a terrific back-and-forth bout. In the end, it was Riddle's obsession with revenge that got the better of him and cost him the win.

Truth be told, both guys need notable wins right now, but Rollins' record on pay-per-view this past year has been much shakier than Riddle's.

You'd have to go back all the way to June 2021 for the last time Rollins won a singles match on pay-per-view when he beat Cesaro at Hell in a Cell. He was a sole survivor for Team Raw at Survivor Series, but otherwise, he has been unsuccessful at every other event since then.

Riddle, on the other hand, has been significantly more successful, specifically in the tag team ranks. Granted, he lost to Roman Reigns back in June and failed to become Mr. Money in the Bank soon after that, but all signs point to him winning this feud with Rollins in the end.

Rollins' string of high-profile losses hasn't hurt his stock any, but he needed this win so Riddle eventually beating him (presumably at Extreme Rules) will mean that much more.

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Graham Mirmina, aka Graham "GSM" Matthews, has specialized in sports and entertainment writing since 2010. Visit his website, WrestleRant, and subscribe to his YouTube channel for more wrestling-related content.